Improvement in preserving and seasoning wood



UNITED STATES.

PATENT Qrrron.

SILAS CONSTANT, OF PEEKSKILL, AND JOHN SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRESERVING AND SEASONING WOOD.

Specication forming part of LettersPatent No. 116,274, dated June 27, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, SILAs CONSTANT, of Peekskill, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, and JOHN SMITH, of the city of Brooklyn and State aforesaid, have invented certain Improvements in Seasoning and Preserving Wood; and We hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and letters of reference markedthereon; this invention being designed as anA improvement upon the apparatus and method for which Letters Patent were granted to us by the United States on the 11th day of June, 1867 5 and consists, mainly,lin certain changes in the construction of the apparatus and addition thereto.

Figure l is a front elevation. Fig. k2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on A B of Figs. 1 and 2, and projections of parts shown below. Fig. 4. is a vertical section on C D of Fig. 3 and projection of gate U, its lever V, and the diffusers S. I

E E are chambers in which the Wood is to be treated. They may be constructed of iron or other suitable materials. For large stationary Works We prefer to build them of brick, and to make the walls as nearly non-conducting to heat as practicable. They are each provided with doors Y of sufficient capacity to readily admit of their being supplied with the Wood to be treated, and, when in operation, the doors must be securely fastened so as to stand the necessary pressure in the chambers and prevent the escape of the air or vapors. These chambers are provided with escape-pipes F, so constructed and arranged that the moisture from the wood may readily escape and a full circulation of air be maintained. The Whole amount of outlet, however, should not eX- ceed two-thirds of the inlet of heated air, so that a constant pressure may be maintained in the chamber. u u are outlets at the bottom of the chambers to draw oft' any condensed matter. W is a hot-airl chamber, into which the hot air is re ceived from the radiators. From this to the Wood.- chamber lare openings w w, through which the heated air is driven into the wood-chambers. It is provided with a gate, U, operated by a lever, V, and its handle P, and is designed to alternate the direction of heated air to either chamber, vso that when the process of seasoning is complete in one it can be made readily to operate in the other While the preserving process is going on in the first; or, Where seasoning only is desired, the treated Wood is being removed and the chamber charged anew. Gr is a chimney, which may be placed in any convenient position in reference to the necessary connections With the other parts. M is the Wind-supply pipe to the hot-air-radiator furnace; N, the fire-box; O, the ash-pit; R, the Wind-chest; T T T, the radiators. These are cylindrical pipes running through the hot-air furnace from the Wind-chest Bv to the chamber W. They are slightly conical in form, and are constructed so as to have the openings about one-quarter larger at their connection with the Wind-chest B. than at their connection with the hot-air chamber W. The larger ends are securely fastened in the inside of the Wind-chest, and the smaller ends are connected with the hotair chamber in sockets or slip-joints X X X so as to allow for expansion and contraction. S is a diffuser, and S S S vanes. introduction is to provide a greater `amount of heated surface and more effectually heat all portions of the air. H is the retort or generator of the smoky vapor or antiseptic agent; D, the' door 5 m, the clamp which!A holds the door in place; and n, the screur to the clamp. P is the lire-box, and q the ash-pan. K is a tank or receptacle to contain the materials to be converted into smoky vapor or other antiseptics, and K K standards to support it. J is a stop-cock to the tank 'throu gh which the materials are discharged into funnels L, through which it enters by means of asiphon, not shown in the drawing, into the retort or generator; and I the pipe through which the smoky vapor or other vaporized antiseptics are driven into the Wood-chamber E.

The operation is as follows: The Wood-chamber E is supplied With the desired quantity of Wood to be treated, the different tiers or layers to be separated by strips or otherwise, so as to allow the free circulation ofthe heated air and antiseptic agents; the door Y closed and gate U set so as to permit the heated air to enter the wood-chamber. The air, which is forced into the air-chambers through pipe m by means of bellows or other suitable means, is heated in its passage to the hot-air chamber W and Woodcha-mber E, through the radiators T T T, by means of furnace N. The heat, as it enters the Wood-chamber, should begin at a low tempera- The object of its ture and be gradually increased until it attains a. temperature from 2250 to 2500 Fahrenheits scale, and is kept up to that as nearly as practicable. lvVhen it is desired to apply the preserving process the gate U is now closed und the escupe-pipes F closed by plugs or vulves. The tar or other antiseptic agent, having; been placed in reservoir K and the retort or generator H heated so as to convert the sume into a smoky or other vapor, is let into the retort through the Siphon, and, when so converted, escapes into the chamber holdin g the seasoned Wood in sufficient quantities and force, and for a sufficient length of time, to impregnato the fiber of the Wood as far as practicable with the antiseptic agents. As different kinds ot' wood Will require different lengths of time of treatment, the seasoning process should continue until the moisture ceases to escape through the pipes F, and the preserving pose specified.

SILAS CONSTANT. Witnesses: JOHN SMITH.

THos. C. MOORE,

J. A. SMITH. 

